Abstract

Groundwater and surface water in many cases are considered
separate resources, but there is growing recognition of
a need to treat them as a single resource. For example, groundwater
inflow during low streamflow is vitally important to the health
of a stream for many reasons, including buffering temperature,
providing good quality water to the stream, and maintaining
flow for aquatic organisms. The U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) has measured stream stage and flow at thousands of
locations since 1889 and has the ability to distribute
the information to the public within hours of collection, but collecting
shallow groundwater data at co-located measuring sites is a
new concept.

Recently developed techniques using heat as a tracer to
quantify groundwater and surface-water exchanges have shown the value of coupling
these resources to increase the understanding of the water
resources of an area. In 2009, the USGS Office of Groundwater
began a pilot study to examine the feasibility and utility
of widespread use of real-time groundwater monitoring
at streambank wells coupled with real-time surface-water
monitoring at active streamgages to assist in understanding the
exchange of groundwater and surface water in a cost effective
manner.